Episode 33
Episode 33
As You Wish
MAIA
My stomach growled as I slipped on my worn Doc Martens. I glanced at the clock and noted it was 9:45 a.m. If Rhodes was punctual, he’d be here to pick me up at ten for the late breakfast he’d suggested we have. Then I figured we’d head to my studio above Sam’s garage to start packing up my things. I couldn’t believe I was about to marry a stranger. Then again, I also couldn’t believe I’d sold myself in Alana’s marriage auction for a whopping seven million dollars.
With a grin on my face, I snatched up my phone, clicked on my bank app and typed in my ID and passcode. Then I went to my account and looked at the balance. I read the number over and over, pride filling my chest and relief making me sigh with contentment.
$250,284.67.
While staring at the amount like a complete dork, I reached out and grabbed one of the dinner rolls I’d pilfered last night and took a bite. It was a little stale, having sat out all night, but it would provide nourishment and make that gnawing ache in my gut subside. I didn’t know why, but I always woke up hungry as a hippo. Even after I’d stuffed my face to the gills last night at Caesars Palace, I still woke famished.
I signed out of my bank account, bit down on the roll and held the bulk of it between my teeth as I tied my shoes and thought about my next steps now that I had a good amount of money to work with. The first thing I needed to do when I got settled was reach out to Mom. Let her know I had money now and could help her, Maisie, and Zach get the hell out of town while my stepfather and his demon spawn were away at work.
She wouldn’t want to risk angering my stepfather, so it would be wise to come up with a full plan for extracting them and finding a place to set them up before they ran.
I gritted my teeth and chomped down on the roll, my mind instantly going to what could be currently happening in that home behind closed doors, or worse, at night. I clutched the roll in my fist, forcing myself to chew what was in my mouth, even though it now tasted like sawdust.
Derrick could already be harming our half-sister irreparably like he did to me. Maisie was close to turning twelve. I was eleven, he fourteen, when my stepbrother started coming into my room. But maybe because he’s so much older now, and Maisie is technically biologically related to him, versus me, who is just a stepsister by marriage, he wouldn’t think to harm her. Yet, in the back of my mind, I knew nothing would stop Derrick’s sick and twisted desires.
Without warning, time slowed, and my vision darkened.
“Be quiet, Maia! Shut the fuck up! Don’t make another sound or I’ll tell your mom you begged me for it. Dad will believe me too. And your stupid mother will fall into line just like she always does. You want Dad to give her another black eye?” He hissed against my ear.
I shook my head, tears pouring down my face as he held a hand over my mouth to keep me quiet.
“Then open your legs and stop your whimpering. No one is going to save you.”
I trembled as the door suddenly opened, smacking against the closet opposite it. Rhodes rushed inside and fell to his knees by the bed as his hands grasped my shoulders.
“What’s the matter? I heard you whimpering through the door, and you wouldn’t open it. I knocked and knocked.” He cupped my cheek, his gaze darting from my face, down and over my body, as though checking for an injury. “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head, the flashback so real my stomach clenched painfully, a sour taste flooding the back of my tongue. I pushed Rhodes out of the way as I raced to the bathroom and vomited up the little I’d eaten this morning.
Rhodes was right behind me, wetting a cloth and handing it to me as he rubbed my back. “You’re sick?” he surmised.
Sick of the flashbacks? Yes.
Sick of worrying about my sister’s safety? Absolutely.
Sick of knowing my mother was being beaten regularly with no one to save her? Yeah.
Sick of not knowing if my stepfather was laying hands on my little brother? Definitely.
“Not in the traditional sense,” I answered noncommittally.
“What happened?” Rhodes flushed the toilet as I got up and went to the sink, rinsed out my mouth, and loaded up my toothbrush with paste.
“It was nothing. This uh…happens sometimes when I’m really hungry and I haven’t eaten,” I lied.
“Then what was with the bread roll I saw mangled and left on the bed?” he asked. “Is that what you hid in the napkin last night after dinner? Food?”
I shrugged and set about cleaning the nasty from my mouth and mind.
“If you needed to eat earlier, I would have picked you up sooner. I chose ten o’clock so you’d have some time to gather your thoughts after all that occurred last night,” he said gently. “You don’t need to steal food. Those days of not having enough are over for you.”
“You mean for three years,” I corrected around a mouth full of foam.
“No, I mean forever . Even if we separate, I’m still going to ensure that you’re taken care of. I’d never leave my wife high and dry.”
I spit out the paste and rinsed. “Well, I’ve been promised a lot of things by a lot of people. Most never come through.” I changed the subject. “Where are we going to eat?” I didn’t want to talk about what he saw when he entered. I didn’t even know how he got into my room in the first place.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You looked like you’d seen a ghost or were out of your mind with fear.” He swallowed and rubbed at the back of his neck, his expression one of genuine concern.
“I’m fine. Just ready to get the day going. What’s on the agenda?”
He blinked silently, probably trying to gauge whether or not I was telling him the truth. I certainly wasn’t. I’d been quaking in my boots, terrified, as I was every time a flashback hit, but he didn’t need to know that. At least not now. I’d keep that skeleton in the closet for as long as humanly possible, lest he think he’d scored a headcase for a bride, not just someone who was down on their luck.
Rhodes inhaled deeply and then let his breath out slowly, something I was beginning to notice he did rather often. Maybe that was his way of pulling his thoughts together.
“Uh, well, I was going to suggest breakfast be your choice. Then I thought it would be a good idea to go to your place and start packing your things. Talk. Learn more about one another. The things that normally take place before one gets engaged.” His lips lifted up on one side, gifting me that sexy, endearing boyish grin.
“Fine.” I agreed. I also needed to tell Sam I’d be leaving indefinitely and say goodbye.
Goodbyes were not my thing. Ever. Usually, I didn’t connect with anyone long enough to actually feel anything about leaving abruptly, but Sam was my best friend and a super overprotective brother type. He knew more about me than anyone. He’d also understand what I had to do but hate that I’d finally succumbed to the auction. He’d been proud of me for lasting so many years without accepting Alana’s offer to join. I hoped he wouldn’t be ashamed, but I couldn’t wait any longer to help my family. I wasn’t making enough money as a maid, and definitely not as a pickpocket, which could also land my ass in jail if I got caught.
The auction was my last chance.
“Tonight I’d planned on having dinner with a client and his wife, but I could cancel if you’re not up to it,” Rhodes offered.
I shook my head. There was no way in hell I’d be having my new fiancé cancel things on my behalf. The goal was to ensure he wanted to keep me, not toss me back out to the wolves. The contract was clear. If either party wanted to get out for any reason, there was always the option. I only got the full seven mil if I signed on the dotted line, officially got married, and stayed through the three anniversaries after that.
However, if he wanted to bail before the first year was up, they’d deduct what he owed me based on the time we were together. Right now, he’d already paid the deposit of $250,000. Once we got married, I’d score the first installment of that seven mil. That money was going to set me, my two siblings, and my mother up with an amazing life. Then everything we suffered would just be a bad memory.
Which reminded me, “When are we getting married?” I asked.
He frowned and cleared his throat. “I, uh, huh… I honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead. As you know, it wasn’t part of my plan.”
“Contract states we are supposed to be married within thirty days of signing the contract. After that, we are supposed to have consummated the marriage within two weeks. Maybe after dinner we can tack on a quickie drive-through wedding?” I suggested.
“You want to get married today?” he croaked.
“Why wait?” I stated flatly.
He started to pace the small room, then ran his hand through his hair repeatedly. “I feel like we need more time to connect. And to be honest, I don’t think I could go through with a wedding ceremony if my daughter wasn’t there. You haven’t even met Emily yet.” His shoulders slumped.
“Technically, I met her at the airport.” I reminded him.
That was the wrong thing to say. Because suddenly, he stopped pacing and slumped into the single chair in the corner of the room, put his elbows to his knees and his head in his hands, looking utterly defeated. “Shit, that’s right. She might actually remember you. What the hell are we going to tell her?” He lifted his head, his face a mask of worry. “I married my pickpocket?”
Damn, the man had a point.
“Uh, that wasn’t something I’d thought through just yet,” I admitted weakly and sucked in my bottom lip while I started to consider each possible scenario.
He lifted a hand, gesturing toward me. “Exactly. That’s why we need to discuss these things. Emily will be with Alana and Christophe for the next two weeks. We have until then to figure out what we’re going to do about introducing you to my daughter and the actual ceremony.”
Which meant I had to wait to get the next payout.
I groaned under my breath. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but none of this was. All I knew was this man wasn’t going to marry me quickly. He wanted his beloved daughter to be a part of it. Which was really sweet, but the exact opposite of my own plan. Regardless, the only way we were going to get through any of it was one step at a time.
“First things first: breakfast. I’m thinking bagels and coffee then we hit up my house to start packing. I need to settle up with Sam anyway. Then, we’ll meet with your clients for dinner. After that, we’ll figure it out.”
He looked up from where he’d been staring at his shoes, likely contemplating all his bad life choices. I knew that look well and recognized it when I saw it.
“Bagels and coffee?” he reiterated.
“I know a great place.”
His lips twisted as he stood. “Lead the way.”
* * * *
We munched on breakfast in the back of the limo Rhodes ushered me into when we got to the front of the hotel. While we ate and headed to my place, I took stock of my fiancé. He was ruggedly handsome. Not in the way that a man who hikes mountains or rides a motorcycle was, more in the way that he didn’t take himself too seriously. His nails weren’t perfectly manicured but there wasn’t any dirt underneath them either. He had on a pair of worn jeans that fit his body seamlessly and a white button-up, linen, short-sleeved shirt that was pretty unremarkable. His hair was entirely salt and peppered and his beard looked to be no more than a couple days’ growth, which seemed to be his preferred aesthetic.
Those cool gray eyes slid to me, and for a moment, I was lost in their beauty.
“You’re gorgeous, you know that?” His voice was a low rumble that reminded me of a desert storm.
I licked my lips, and his eyes changed color, morphing from that icy gray to a murkier blue, the pupil growing larger the longer I stared.
“You actually believe that,” I said, shocked at seeing the truth in his eyes.
“Of course, I do. I wouldn’t have said it if it weren’t true. Alana didn’t lie when she chose you for me. I couldn’t get you out of my head after we crashed into one another.”
I could feel my cheeks heat in response to his admission. “Really?”
He bit down on his bottom lip and leaned closer, our faces only a foot apart. I could smell the woodsy citrus cologne he wore as it weaved like a temptress in the air around us.
“There is something about you, Maia, that is unlike anyone I’ve ever met.” He reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, then brought his face a few inches closer.
I swallowed nervously at his nearness, feeling the very heat of his breath as he traced the tips of his fingers along the side of my face in a feather-light caress.
“Are you going to kiss me now?” I whispered and licked my lips again, feeling bold and unsettled.
His gaze heated even more as one side of his mouth lifted. “Do you want me to kiss you?” He traced my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb.
I continued this sexy little game a moment longer. “If I said yes, would you use it against me?”
“If you say yes, I’ll use my body against you.” He teased, upping the stakes. My mind instantly imagined his large, manly frame pinning me to the leather seat as his lips devoured mine.
“Please kiss me,” I breathed.
“As you wish,” he threaded his fingers through my hair and leaned in the last couple of inches, pressing his lips to mine.
His mouth was soft and warm like the latte I’d been drinking, only he felt much, much better. I shifted my body and pressed closer to him. He flicked the seam of my lips with his tongue, and I invited him in, opening my mouth on a low purr. Rhodes cupped my other cheek, tilted my head and kissed me deeply and with intent. It was a whirlwind of explosive sensation spinning through my mind as I hummed and dug my fingers into the landscape of his broad shoulders. The man had to be two or more of me, his frame all-encompassing as he continued to rock my world.
Arousal tore through my body like white-hot fire. I’d never been kissed with such passion and longing. It went on and on, until I found myself scrambling into his lap. His head fell back against the seat, giving me access to his scrumptious neck. I kissed down the column and back up while his hands landed on my ass. He grabbed two handfuls of cheek and I took the hint, rocking my hips against his frame and crying out when his hardness pressed exactly where I wanted him.
Out of nowhere, there was a knock on the half-open window, which shocked the hell out of both of us. I ripped my mouth away, disbelief at how far we’d gotten, both lost to the sexual chemistry between us. Rhodes seemed none the wiser as his eyes widened, glancing up and down my frame where I sat on top of his lap. A smile split across his face.
“Um…” He started to chuckle as another knock sounded on the window.
I turned my head to find Sam, a dark expression on his face, his muscular arms crossed over his chest, his motorcycle jacket clearly visible.
“You.” He pointed through the open part of the window. “Out,” he demanded. “Now.”
“Okay, okay, bro. Chill,” I slid off Rhodes’ lap and winced at the sheer size of the bulge he was now packing behind his jeans. “Uh, I’m going to go talk to Sam.” I hooked a thumb toward the growly biker standing a few feet away.
Rhodes pressed his lips together and nodded, adjusting his pants. “I’m gonna need a minute.”
“By the looks of that heat you’re packing, you’re going to need more than a minute,” I taunted.
“Not helping,” he responded but was still grinning hotly.
I slipped out of the limo and slammed the door shut, positioning my body in front of it.
“Who the hell was that mauling you just now?” Sam growled, big brother mode firmly engaged.
I held up my hands. “Sam, his name is Rhodes, and he’s my fiancé.”
“Bullshit! Try again,” he sneered, trying to look over my shoulder at the car.
I put my hands out in front of me to make myself look bigger. “Sam, I put myself in the auction last night.”
Sam shifted me aside and pulled open the door to the limo.
He pointed at Rhodes and roared, “I’m gonna fucking kill you!”